The Element of Change
by Girlsluvsuperheroes
Summary: Lei Watson was a water bender, and ever since she discovered this, she has wanted to do something great. But that dream died the day she was sent to live with an aunt in America, all on the notion that she would be safe there. But life isn't that simple when you're hiding who you truly are from the world. So she joins the X-men. But was this path the right one? Erik, Charles, OC
1. Chapter 1 Just Like You

**A/N: You hear that guys?**

 **It's the sound of a beautiful X-men OC being born!**

 **So this is a little X-men: First Class OC I thought up. I know I still have other stories to work on, so this one is going to be very short (probably about 10 chapters). However, I still hope you enjoy reading about this OC as much as I enjoyed writing her story.**

 **Okay, let's get to it then.**

The white chalk screeched against the board as the teacher quickly wrote down the equation before turning around towards the class. Bored faces stared back at her, some with their faces in their palm and a few in the back had their heads on their desks, fast asleep. The teacher sighed. Of course the students would be bored. She was teaching them Algebra after all. "Can anyone tell me the solution to this equation?" She asked, turning her head to glance around the room. No one responded. "Anyone?" She asked again, before crossing her ankles and leaning against her desk. She swore crickets chirped in the background.

Slowly a hand drifted up into the air, followed by an unsure, "Ms. Watson?"

"Yes, Joseph," Ms. Watson responded joyfully, standing up from her perch on the desk.

"Don't we get out soon?" The student asked. The young teacher let out an annoyed breath. She was naïve to expect an answer. Before she could respond to the young student, the shrill cry of the bell was heard and the teens quickly clamored out of their desks and out the door.

The young woman was left talking to air. She pouted her peach colored lips before turning around to shuffle the pile of papers on her desk. "What a great way to spend the weekend Lei," she fussed, shifting her fingers through the stack of tests she would need to grade over the weekend.

The teacher craned her neck when she heard the familiar click of her door being closed. Two men stood behind her. One had a boyish grin on his face and was staring at her like she was the most intriguing thing on the earth, while the other was analyzing the room with his lips set in a firm line and an annoyed look in his eyes. He didn't look as excited to be here as the other man and seemed to be in some sort of rush.

"May I help you?" She asked politely. Her pencil skirt hung tightly around her hips as she leaned onto the edge of her desk. Her slender eyebrows knitted together in confusion. What were these men doing here? They were clearly too young to be parents, and too old to be students.

The shorter one gave her a polite smile. "I think you can," he said charmingly, his voice thick in a British accent. "See, we're just like you…" he drawled.

Lei folded her arms. "And how, sir, are you 'just like me'?" She questioned, her black heels clicking against the tile floor as she stood up from her desk.

The Englishmen's mouth curled up into a smile before he turned to the man behind him. "Show her." The man who had been surveying the place nodded before slowly lifting his hand towards Lei.

She stared oddly at the man, not expecting anything to happen until the metal lamp on her desk slowly rose into the air.

Lei's almond eyes widened in surprised.

The Englishmen smiled and pressed two fingers to his temple. " _Believe us now?"_ he asked, his voice ringing in her mind.

Her jaw dropped in astonishment. The man who had lifted the lamp let out a low chuckle and Lei's mouth quickly clamped shut. Her dark fringe whipped in front of her eyes as she nodded vehemently back at the two strangers.

 _"_ _They are gifted, just like me, with powers I didn't even know existed,"_ she thought, placing her hand to her forehead and falling back onto her desk. Her breathing came out short as she tried to maul over the new information.

"I know that it's a lot to process," the mind reader said aloud, reading her thoughts. "But there are many out there. Mutants with unbelievable gifts that they can't even comprehend. Erik and I," he said, motioning toward the man behind him quickly before looking back at Lei. "We want to find those mutants and help them with their abilities before it's too late." His lips quirked up into a smile. "How would you like to join us?" He asked.

Lei looked up from her desk. The telepath stared down at her, his blue eyes staring innocently into her brown eyes. The young woman thought for a moment, her eyes drifting from the young man to the man he'd called Erik as she weighed her options.

Stay here and teach a class that no one, not even herself, had any interest in, or go find people like her and help them find a better path.

The telepath's questioning expression lit up. "I think you already know my answer," she observed.

The man smiled. "Charles Xavier," he declared before thrusting a hand forward. "It's a pleasure to have you aboard."

A sly smirk drifted across her face. "Lei Watson, but I'm sure you already knew that," she retorted, shaking his hand.

 **A/N: Alright! First chapter is up! Woot woot! So, anyone have any suggestions for Lei's X-men name?**


	2. Chapter 2 Havok's Hope

**A/N: This chapter goes to Cheryl487 for my first review! Thank you so much, and I hope you like this chapter.**

Lei walked down the great halls of the Xavier Mansion, thinking over the events that had just occurred at the CIA base. They were in a safe place now, but everyone was still rattled over Darwin's death and Angel leaving them for the enemy.

She was going to go talk to Charles when she noticed one of the new recruits, Alex, held up in the library. His brows were knitted together in concentration and there was a book sitting in his lap, but it didn't look like he was paying much attention to it.

"Alex, are you okay?" She asked, stepping into the library.

The young man turned from looking out the window. "What do you want?" He asked hostilely.

Lei's brows furrowed as she stepped closer. "I want to know if you're okay," she offered in a softer tone.

Alex scoffed and looked back outside the window. Lei nodded and looked down at her folded hands. She knew what this was about.

"Alex, it isn't your fault about what happened to Darwin."

He didn't look at her. The young woman sighed before sitting on the couch across from him. A thought occurred to her. "'You must never give into despair," she paused and tried to think of the next line. "'Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to you lowest instincts. In the darkest times hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength.'"

Lei got up to leave but stopped and turned back to look at the young mutant. She placed her hand on Alex's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I didn't know Darwin very long, but I am sure that if he were here he would forgive you and want you to move on."

When Alex didn't respond, Lei slowly turned away. As she reached the door, she heard the young boy call out for her. "Yes?" she asked, her hand resting on the doorway.

"Thank you," Alex said. Lei smiled and nodded before turning way.

"Lei?"

"Alex?" She said, stopping and turning around again.

"Who told you that?" He wondered, turning in his seat to look at her.

"My father," she answered, a sad smile ghosting across her lips. The boy nodded before turning back around and opening his book to read.

Lei smiled before going to talk to Charles about training for tomorrow.

 **End of chapter two.**

 **The quote is from Uncle Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender, in other words one of the best animated shows ever.**


	3. Chapter 3 Like Water

**A/N: Here's chapter 3! They're going to start their training. I still need ideas for Lei's Xmen name! Comment if you have any ideas!**

 **Thank you so much for the review Franziii3! I'm glad to meet another Avatar fan and am glad you like the idea of a character who can bend! This chapter goes to you.**

The cool morning breeze blew through the open windows and across the room, stirring the sleeping form beneath the silk sheets. The form tossed and turned, before slowly pulling back the sheets to reveal a young woman, her dark hair tangled from a night's rest. The woman stretched, a high pitched yawn escaping her lips before she leaned up to stare out the window.

It was a bright, sunny morning. The morning dew still hung sweetly in the air and birds were chirping in the woods along the mansion. She eased out of the bed, her feet shivering against the cold hardwood floor as she made her way to the window. Lei smiled against the morning sun before realizing what today had in store.

She closed the windows and sighed. Charles had informed her yesterday that they would be training to see where her abilities needed work. The twenty-five-year-old shook her head and began getting ready, placing on her provided exercise clothes and shoes before wrapping her hands with boxing gauze and heading out the door.

"My powers only go so far, Charles," Lei explained, nervously tightening her braid. "I have the potential to control other elements, yes, but that is extremely rare and takes years to master."

"I know, my dear. But water is in everything and if you can control water," he said, pointing to her before sweeping his arms out and smiling. "Then you can control so much! Trees, flowers, clouds, oceans…"

"Animals, people…" Lei barked, interrupting the young telepath.

Charles dropped his arms and stared at her, the boyish smile quickly leaving his lips.

 _"What's wrong?"_ He asked her. The presence of his mind linked with hers made shivers wonder down her spine. She wondered if she would ever get use to that.

 _"It's nothing,"_ she chimed back, wrapping her arms around her body in an attempt to comfort herself. _"It's just that… the last time I used my abilities, it didn't end too well for my family."_

Charles took a step towards the young woman and placed his hands on her arms. He bent down, craning his neck so that she had no choice but to look at him.

 _"You're with us now. Trust me, no one can hurt you while you are here,"_ he promised, giving her arms a reassuring squeeze. Lei slowly nodded, staring up to gaze at his blue eyes. Charles dashed a grin at her.

"Are we going to train, or are you guys going to continue making googly eyes at each other?" Erik remarked.

Lei took a step away from Charles and unfolded her arms. She had almost forgotten that Erik was there.

Lei glared at him as Charles began speaking but the metal wielder simply smirked at her.

"Lei?"

"What?" She asked plainly, turning back towards Charles.

"Were you even listening?" He asked.

"No, sorry. What did you ask?"

Charles pressed a fist to his forehead before attempting to smile at her. "I asked if you would like to further explain the origin of your abilities to Erik here," he said, gesturing to the stoic man.

"Well," she drawled. "Where I'm from, originally, many people had the ability to control an element. Some water, earth, fire, air, and then there were the odd cases- but these are only rumors- where someone could control all four. There are, of course, rules to every one of these abilities. Most fire benders cannot create fire and most earth benders cannot control metal, because of the small traces of earth in it."

The tips of Erik's lips turn slightly at the idea that not many earth benders could control metal like he could, so she added, "But rules are meant to be broken."

Erik's smile faded.

"Water is the element of change. The moon is the source of power in waterbending and there's an old legend that the original waterbenders learned to bend by observing how the moon pushed and pulled the tides."

"Excellent Lei!" Charles shouted, clapping his hands once before turning on his heel and walking down the gravel path, Erik and Lei following behind him.

"Is it just me, or is he way too excited about this whole mutation thing?" Lei asked, leaning in closer to whisper to Erik.

The tall man had a calm demeanor and his hands were shoved in his front pants pocket, but Lei heard a faint chuckle in his throat and she smiled.

Eventually, the trio reached a large fountain that was in the front side of the mansion. The thing had to be at least twenty feet tall and a large pool at least fifty feet long ran to the side of it. Lei's almond eyes widened in astonishment before she ran to the fountain, her fingers dusting across the cool water in excitement.

"Ready to battle Erik?" Charles asked, not noticing the glare the other man sent him when he clapped a hand on his shoulder.

The bright smile fell from Lei's lips.

"What?" Charles asked. "You didn't think you'd be fighting me. Did you?"

Before the brunette can respond, a large piece of metal came flying towards her. Although caught off guard, Lei was able to draw up a shield of water and block the piece from hitting her.

She stared back at Erik angrily, her jaw tight.

Erik smirked back at her and folded his arms. "You going to stand there with your mouth open, or are you going to fight?" He taunted.

Lei's expression hardened.

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, they were a bright blue. A curious combination of pale and dark, luminescent against the greens of the garden.

She bent down and pulled a stream of water out of the pool behind her. Widening her stance, she prepared to defend herself against Erik's attacks. He didn't waste any time and brought up his hands to send metal missiles towards her. Lei brought the whip of water in front of her and began using it to smack the objects away.

Erik used this distraction to send a large piece of metal towards the brunette. Before she could detect it, the object knocked the young woman off her feet and into the water behind her.

Charles was enthralled with their abilities as he watched from the sidelines. Erik and Lei had been fighting for a couple of minutes and he was surprised to see that Lei was holding up pretty well on her own, despite her initial hesitance to battle Erik. Although, Charles understood perfectly. Erik could seem a bit… intimidating at times.

The back of Lei's head smacked against the sleek tile of the pool and knocked her out of her concentration. The pulse in her veins pounded in her ears as she slowly rose from the water. Erik didn't give her much time to get her bearings for another wave of metal objects came flying towards her.

"Where is all this coming from?" She shouted, bringing up a shield of water around her. In her stupor, Erik had gotten closer to the pool of water.

The water bender brought her hands together slowly before pushing them down to her waist and lowering the shield. Erik stopped walking, wondering why the young woman was lowering her defenses.

Lei stared up at the man, her eyes blazing. She slowly brought her hands to her chest and brought up a new wave of water. The water rose and spun into a circle around her. Lei whipped her hands up above her head and long tendrils of water rose into the air.

A corner of her mouth quirked upwards. "Are you going to stand there with your mouth open, or are you going to fight?" She taunted, repeating his words from earlier.

Erik's jaw tightened and he threw a fist toward the young woman, sending another stream of metal towards her.

Lei used the tentacles of water to throw away every object he sent her way. The water moved and floated with every breath Lei took, as if it was linked to her very living. There was no way he was going to get through her defense and Erik, seeing this, searched for another way to defeat her.

That's when he noticed the metal pendant that gleamed against her caramel skin. A smile rose against his lips and he outstretched his hand. Lei rose into the air, pulled by the tug of her necklace against her throat.

She let out strangled gurgles, her nails clawing desperately against her necklace as she tried to bring oxygen back into her lungs. No longer bending, her eyes returned to their natural, brown form and the water fell back into the pool.

Charles shouted for Erik to stop as blue began to appear in Lei's face. The young bender rose higher and higher into the air, chocking against Erik's grasp.

"Erik!" Charles shouted. Lei's eyes drifted towards the young man before they flashed blue once again. She stopped struggling and shot a hand forward, bending a large wave of water out of the pool and rushing towards the metal wielder.

Caught in surprise, the wave collided with Erik, knocking him off his feet and into the grass. This broke Erik's concentration and Lei began tumbling back into the water. She swung her hands out hastily, effectively bringing a tube of water into the air to crutch her fall.

The water formed into a wave and Lei surfed towards Erik who, despite being knocked down, had a sly smile on his lips. The wave dissipated and Lei brought a water whip towards Erik's jaw. But the sharpened water stopped abruptly, inches away from connecting with its target. Her face remained blank, but her eyes blazed with fury and she worked her jaw, trying to calm herself from impaling the mutant.

Erik chuckled. "Alright, alright," he conceded, raising his hands up in defeat. Lei brought the water down hesitantly, her eyes still watching Erik. Strips of hair had fallen from her tight braid, and beads of sweat formed across her forehead. Erik's steel eyes traveled up and down her body.

The long lashes from her eyes shimmered with water and her wet clothes clung tightly to her slender body. Her mouth was open and her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to gain back her breath.

"What say we finish this… without the powers, hmm?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows. Erik thought the water bender would be hesitant, but she nodded and lowered the water slowly to the ground.

Charles drew his lower lip between his teeth as his eyes darted between the two elemental kinetics as they fought. Erik sent a series of jabs and punched towards the young woman, attempting to close the distance, but every step he took was countered.

Lei's fighting style was remarkable. Every move she took was fluid, graceful. But she was not simply dodging and deflecting. When she took her attack stance, her moves always appeared to flow one to the other. She let her defense become her offense, turning Erik's forces against him.

By observing her fighting, Charles soon learned that waterbending's strength is in its great versatility and dealt, not with pure offensive attacks, but with the flow of energy of their attacker. Rather than supporting a separate set of offensive methods, waterbending employs defensive techniques that can be transformed into attacks and counters- defense into offense. Instead of simply deflecting an attack, waterbending's defensive maneuvers focus on control, achieved through turning an opponent's own strength against them, rather than directly harming the opponent.

But Erik fought differently. He always thought that the best defense was an aggressive offense, hurting your opponent before they can hurt you and with Lei's slipping energy, that method began to ring true.

Lei's quick, flowing movement began to slow, but Erik still had plenty of strength left and he began to achieve the upper hand. She attempting a punch, but Erik caught her fist and wrenched her towards him. When her body collided with his, he pulled the arm behind her back and squeezed. Lei stifled a cry of pain and turned her neck to glare at him.

"Looks like I've got you," he whispered gruffly, his hot breath hitting against the cool, wet skin of her neck. She attempted to get out of his hold, but failed. Erik tightened his hold and she winced

"Alright, you got me," she growled.

Lei tumbled forward as he released her before catching her balance and turning back toward Erik. Charles took this opportunity to butt in before things got violent again.

"You did wonderful, Leilani. Have you had training before?" Charles enquired, his eyebrows pulling together. It seemed that she had already mastered her mutation. The only thing that might need work was her endurance and circumstantial awareness.

She nodded. "Yes. My father taught me before I moved to America. I'm surprised I was able to remember it all, though I may be a little rusty." There was a pause. "He was also the only one to call me Leilani. It's Lei, please," she said, wringing out her damp hair before bending the water off of her clothes and back into the pool.

"Of course," Charles' response faded as Lei began to walk back towards the mansion, her hand fiddling with the necklace around her collar.

The telepath could feel turmoil inside her mind, but couldn't detect the origins of it. His forehead creased as he stared back in confusion before turning towards Erik.

The man's expression was set in a hard line, with a slight hint of intrigue behind his gray eyes as he watched the waterbender walk back towards the house.

"Erik, what are you thinking?" Charles mused.

 **A/N: I hope this chapter was okay. Writing fight sequences is not my strong suit.**


	4. Chapter 4 Raven

"He's right you know," Lei informed the young shapeshifter, stepping around the corner and into the room Raven was lifting weights in. Raven was in her natural form and if you've heard people call a woman exotic before… well Raven was it. Her bright, fire orange hair stood in great contrast against her dark blue skin and beautiful patterns of scales traveled up and down her body.

"You shouldn't feel like you have to hide who you truly are from the world. You're stunning, Raven. Don't let anyone tell you any differently."

Raven scoffed and sat up from the bench, swinging both of her legs out before standing up. "You don't know everything Lei. You've never had to hide who you really are before. Your mutation allows you to look totally normal. No one's ever looked down on you because you're different." Scales flew across Raven's body, and she was back to her "normal" form, with blonde hair and blue eyes. The mutant pushed past Lei, but before she could get very far the older woman grabbed onto her arm and twisted Raven around to face her.

"You don't think I know what it's like?" Lei's brown eyes narrowed.

"Just because I look normal, doesn't mean I haven't suffered because of my gifts, Raven. My own mother died when I was really young because she was different, so my father had to raise me on his own. Did a pretty damn good job too, until people in the village started to figure out that his daughter was a mutant. That she had the ability to control water and, in time, the potential to control earth, fire, and even air. My father had to send me away, to stay with an aunt in America until things blew over. But by the time I was able to return, my father had died, killed by the same people who had taken my mother. So don't think for a second that you're the only one whose faced hardship because of who she is," Lei scolded before storming out of the exercise room.

She was fuming, and although she had practiced intensely against Erik the day before, and she was still nursing the wounds she had received from that fight, she decided to go practice in the gardens outside. It was a full moon tonight, and she was hoping she'd be able to work off this fury that was building inside her.


	5. Chapter 5 Water's Sweet, but Blood is

**A/N: If it's underlined then it's being spoken in Chinese! This chapter goes to HisLordFluffiness for their review! Hope this might clear a few things up :)**

It was a full moon that chilly, October evening. The trees hushed and whispered in the cool breeze and the green fields were alight with the glow of the moon. But clouds loomed ahead.

Lei was practicing by the large fountain. A breeze blew by, stirring the young woman's braid and rustling her dress so that the tips gently kissed the damp grass. She pushed and pulled the water, trying to sooth her raising mind from Raven's harsh words. Slowly, but surely, a large wave began to rise into the air. Lei knew she couldn't blame the young shape shifter for the outburst. Raven was angry at the world and was expressing that through the only outlet she could find at that moment. That outlet had just happened to be the young waterbender.

The moon brought new vigor to her abilities and Lei found herself pulling the wave higher and higher. She thought being here with her own people would calm her, but it only brought on memories that she had tried so hard to hide.

The hazy memory of the day she lost her mother came flooding back. Her mother had been an air bender, one of the most peaceful types of bending, yet she was hunted down and taken with the rest.

"Māmā! Māmā!" Lei remembered calling out to her. The woman reached out to grab her, but it was to no use. The men in black pulled her back, binding her wrists and injected her with something that would momentarily take away her abilities until they could bring her to the Leader for the permanent solution.

Lei's mother slumped forward, her body already taking the tolls from the drug. "I love you baby. I love you so much!" She shouted before being taken away.

"What should we do with the rat?" One asked, pointing a thumb over to little Lei, who was whimpering in the corner, afraid to look up for fear of being taken.

The other in black shook his shoulders. "She's clearly not a bender, so Supreme Leader won't want her. Maybe we can come back later too… deal with her. Her and her father, once we have proof that they're benders."

The men nodded, sending a disguised look towards the little Chinese girl before leaving. Lei cried out, her heart aching as she wished for her mother to come back.

Her father arrived later that day from work, unprepared for the scene before him. Chairs and tables were upturned. Pictures overturned and broken. The leaves from the Cherry Blossom trees strewn around the garden. Panic began to set into his heart.

"Lien! Lien!" He shouted, running through the house like a mad man, his pace quickening as he saw the destruction. Then he stopped.

"Lei," he mumbled, slowly stepping towards his little girl. She turned her head to look at him, her round eyes gleaming with tears.

He crouched by her side, looking over her shoulder to see what she clutched in her little hands.

It was her mother's engagement necklace.

"Oh, Lei. My little flower," he mumbled in accented English, picking up his little girl and rocking her in his arms.

"At least, they did not take you."

Then, there was the day she had been taken away from her father, three years after she had discovered her abilities, and ten years after her mother's death.

They were at an airstrip that a friend of her father's had owned. Lei protested for her father to come with her, but he insisted that he stay behind.

"Miss Watson, we have to go!" The pilot shouted, his thick American accent coming from the cockpit in the front of the plane. Lei turned back towards her father, tears brimming in her eyes as she looked back at her father for probably the last time.

Five or six men had surrounded him, covered in black body armor and wielding batons.

"Ba Ba," she shouted, tears finally spilling out of her brown eyes and down her face.

"Miss Watson, now!" The pilot shouted again.

Lei spun her head to look at the plane but remained in the doorway, hoping her father would come back.

He fought off the brutes well, using his water bending abilities to keep the men from getting any closer to his daughter, but a few water skins full of water only last so long. When she turned back to look at her father, the batons the men in black were wielding began to spark to life with electricity. And their chi blocking capabilities, the young Lei watched as her father began to lose the upper hand.

He struggled to keep his ground, but with a final hit to his left arm, he was rendered useless. He fell to his knees.

"Run," he mouthed in Mandarin to his daughter, before receiving a sharp blow to the head and landing to the ground with a thud. The men continued to jump him, raining a series of electrical stabs and blows to his back.

"Go!" he roared, sending Lei out of her stupor and into the plane. The door snapped shut and the plane began to leave the airstrip behind as a distant memory. But not before Lei was able to sneak a final glance out of the windows.

The equalists raised her father's limp body to his knees. One of the equalists stood behind him, pulling out a silver gun. Lei watched as he pulled the trigger. She cried out, pressing her trembling hands to her mouth as her father's lifeless body fell back to earth. His peppery hair now stained with red.

Lei had only been 16, and already she was an orphan, to live in a land her father had only been to in his early years.

The giant wave Lei had accidentally created suddenly fell back into the pool. Water sprang from the fountain and into the grass, leaving the pool bare.

"Are you okay?" A voice asked from behind her.

Startled, Lei turned around to see Erik watching her, his eyes filled with confusion, and a bit of well-hidden concern.

Her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "I'm fine," she said, turning and furiously wiping the tears away with her arm.

"No. You're not," he declaimed, taking a hesitant step forward before storming towards her.

Lei raised her hand to quickly wipe away her tears, but Erik seized her wrist. Lei's almond eyes widened, startled of what Erik might do.

But then he did something unexpected. His grip softened and he stopped for a moment, his free hand hovering over her cheek. Erik's gray eyes seemed to be searching for something before he slowly wiped her tears away with his thumb.

"Now. Why don't you tell me what's going on?" He asked.

Lei sighed, knowing that Erik wasn't going to let this go. He was like a dog with a bone when he wanted something. She turned to sit down, looking for a place that wasn't soaking wet.

Erik watched in fascination as she bended the water off of the edge of the fountain and sat down. He paused before sitting down next to her, his leg brushing against hers. He held back a chuckle as he saw her cheeks turn pink against her tan skin before she slowly shifted away from him.

So Lei told him.

She told him how Raven had snapped at her earlier that day, how being here had somehow brought memories back that she'd been trying desperately to pull down.

She was surprised to find that he was really easy to talk to. And a good listener. He didn't stop her to ask questions and he didn't push her to a place her mind didn't want to venture to.

"Many years ago, all of Asia had been prosperous with mutants and non-mutants, living in harmony. Each kingdom was divided by the four elements: Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. But after a while, those who could not bend one of the four elements became afraid of our gifts. The world was changing, and people started to believe that we no longer deserved to be in it.

Lei pulled her knees to her chest.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to," he ventured, but the water bender shook her head.

"No. It's okay. I want to talk about it; I need to talk about it." She let out a sad chuckle. Lei lifted her head and looked at Erik. "I've never been able to talk about this with anyone."

Erik nodded curtly and she continued. She told him that benders began to be hunted and slaughtered. There was one man who could take away the abilities of the gifted. He was able to block the chi inside of people so that they would no longer be able to manipulate their element and soon, the ability to bend the elements, was all but gone.

Her voice suddenly broke and pain flitted across her face. "There was the select few who were able to escape and hide their abilities away from the world." Lei sniffled before dropping her knees from her chest and standing up quickly. "My mother was not one of them."

Erik frowned and stood up, taking a step towards Lei, but she waved him off. She took a deep breath and her stance suddenly turned rigid. Erik was intrigued. How quickly Lei Watson concealed her pain.

"I don't like dwelling on it," she said suddenly, as if reading the older man's mind. "There's no use dwelling on something that cannot be changed. When my father found out that I could manipulate water like he could he was overjoyed, but he was also afraid that I would be found and taken away like my mother was. Reluctantly he began training me, believing I would need to be able to use my powers one day." Lei shrugged her shoulders before turning to face him, her dark brown eyes connecting with his stormy blue. She faked a smile. "I guess he was right."

Erik's stony expression changed. His rust colored hair rustled in the cool night air. Lei could always see pain in his eyes, but now it was so much clearer.

"How did he do it?" Erik asked, his pain suddenly turning into rage. Lei sighed and turned, bending the water on the ground back into the fountain.

She would have been more frustrated if it had been anyone else asking these questions, but Erik had rarely talked to her sense they'd met. Well, actually he rarely talked to anyone, except for Charles, so she took this as a gift.

"How did who do what?" Lei asked dumbly.

Erik took a step closer and clenched his jaw. "How was that monster able to take away other mutants' abilities?" He growled. The metal in the fountain began to shake as his control slipped.

"He was a water bender." She said calmly. "Just like me." The fountain stopped shaking, and whether Erik was surprised at this statement or not, he didn't show it.

"When you are able to water bend, you have the potential to blood bend as well. Waterbending, airbending, firebending, even earthbending, it comes from inside you. When that chi is blocked, so is that ability." She turned back to the fountain, watching as the water sparkled against the moonlight. "That's how he did it."

"Would you use that ability?"

"Of course not. It's very rare for a water bender to be able to do so and even if I could, it would have to be during a fool moon," she admitted.

"But if it were," Erik stepped closer. "If you could manipulate another person through blood bending." another step and he was inches away from her. "Would you?" He asked.

Lei shook her head. "Never. To take over a person's body like that? To conform them to my will?" She whispered, wrapping her arms around her body. She looked down, her dark fringe falling to cover her eyes. "I couldn't imagine," she whispered.

Erik nodded in understanding, brushing one of his hands across her arm before stuffing his hands on the pockets of his trousers and walking back into the mansion, his head bowed in thought.

Lei watched him go before turning to watch the water as it trickled out of the fountain and into the pool, reflecting the image of the full moon.


	6. Chapter 6 The Power of Healing

Sun. A star millions and millions of miles away, yet strong enough, powerful enough, to provide heat to the creatures of the Earth. Like nothing grows without water, nothing flourishes without the heat of the sun.

Lei was sitting in the niche by her window, her back pressed against the warm glass of the outside. She felt empowered by the heat of the sun. Despite being a waterbender, she sought comfort in the fire of the Great Star. Maybe it's because her grandfather was a firebender, she didn't know. But she definitely needed a recharge after the training Charles made her go through. The guy could be a real slave driver when he wanted to be.

As Lei was thinking this, she heard a large thumping down the hallway and a restrained groan. She snapped her book shut and sat up straighter, straining to figure out what the noise was. "Ow, ow, ow, ow," a familiar voice repeated quickly.

"Hank?" she asked, unfolding her legs and walking to her open door. Poking her head out, she noticed Hank leaning on the wall across from her and a little to the right of her door. The shoulder of his shirt was singed and he was cradling the arm it was connected to. "Hank!" She shouted, running up towards the tall mutant. His 6'3 almost towered over her short 5'6.

Lei held her hands out to touch him, but he shied away from her, his blue eyes burning with pain. "What happened?" She asked, pulling her hands slowly back down to her sides.

"An accident… downstairs in the bunker… with Alex's mutation." He said, taking a sharp intake of breath and craning his head to look at the burn. He reached his fingers up to touch his hurt shoulder, but Lei pulled his hand away.

"Don't touch it!" She chastised.

Hank looked up at her sharply. "Well, what am I supposed to do?" He asked.

Lei rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Hank. You have a PhD. You have a waterbender at your disposal." The young woman placed a hand on Hank's back and lead him towards her room, ignoring the odd look he was giving her.

She sat the tall, young man down on her bed and walked back out of her room. Hank watched her leave before his eyes took in the details of her room. They'd only been at the Xavier mansion for about a week, yet Lei had been able to turn it into a home. Little trinkets hung around her room, all water based. There was a small fish tank on her dresser, a few dolphin statues here and there, and the white curtains were replaced with blue, although they seemed to always be pushed back to let the light in.

"Alright Hank," Lei said, walking quickly back into the room. Hank's eyes dropped to his lap and he twiddled his thumbs nervously. Lei tucked her legs under her and sat down next to Hank on the bed.

She slowly pulled away the burned material to look at the wound. The flesh was jagged and red, burned and beginning to bleed. Lei sighed and began unbuttoning the buttons on Hank's shirt.

"What're you doing?" He asked quickly, grabbing her hand to prevent her slender fingers from going any further.

Lei shook her head and placed her hands in her lap. "I can't access the wound on your shoulder with your shirt on. So stop being a baby." Her voice was stern and she pulled her eyebrows forward to glare at him.

Hank froze, surprised to see the young woman suddenly so stern. "Alright," he conceded. Nodding, Lei set to work.

"Every waterbender, if practiced, has the ability to heal injuries. To do so, they must redirect energy paths, or chi, throughout the body, using water as a catalyst. Waterbenders can use their abilities to heal by surrounding a sick or injured person with water," she explained.

Her work was precise and despite a handsome man her age sitting shirtless before her, she remained professional. The water drifted slowly out of the pitcher Lei placed on the side table and into her tanned hands. The water swirled in her palm, quickening and spinning until it began to emit a light glow.

Hank watched in amazement before gritting his teeth as the young woman put the water onto his shoulder. He hissed and jerked away from her. "Sorry," she mumbled, tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear. Slowly, the pain faded away and the heat from his shoulder turned into a cool, comforting sensation. Hank sighed and leaned into Lei's touch.

"Well, all done," Lei said, bending the healing water back into its container.

Hank's eyes fluttered open. "How does it feel?" She asked.

Hank rolled his shoulder before looking back at her. "It's good. Thank you," he said politely.

"No problem, Hank," she said, leading him back out of the door. "Just stay away from too much havoc. Okay?" She asked, winking at him.

Hank stuttered before bowing his head and nodding.

Lei watched him walk back down the hallway before closing the door.


	7. Chapter 7 Breakfast

Lei woke up early that day, despite the pain her body still felt from training the day before. The young woman groaned and heard a resounding pop in her lower back as she got up and stretched. Charles really knew how to push it, but it didn't come unwarranted. In just a few days they would be fighting against Sebastian Shaw. If it went well they would prevent World War III, but if they failed, it could ultimately result in the death of millions.

After all their hard work, the team needed a "pick-me-up."

The sun was just beginning to rise and it would be a good hour before anyone else was awake. Lei smiled and turned around to look for her slippers. She then threw on her robe and walked out the door.

The sweet smell of pancake batter hung in the air of the kitchen and bacon sizzled in the pan on the stove. No doubt everyone would be hungry. No one in the mansion could really cook, so she would have to do it herself. She just hoped nothing burned. Of course, that might not be the case if her braid didn't stay out of the way. Lei pushed it back over her shoulder to keep it out of the way of the skillet, but in doing so knocked over a pitcher of orange juice.

Lei prepared herself for the loud noise of the metal pitcher against the tile floor, but it never hit the ground. Instead, it slowly levitated back up into the air and was gently placed on the counter.

"You need to be more careful," a voice said from behind her. Lei jumped in surprised and grabbed onto the marble counter top, her heart pumping before she noticed Erik standing there with a sly grin on his face.

"Erik! It's too early to sneak up on people," she huffed, throwing her braid back over her shoulder and stepping back around to flip the bacon onto the plate. Of all the people to be the first up, she had expected Hank or Charles, so she was surprised to see Erik that morning.

"I could have cleaned it up you know." Lei looked over her shoulder to smirk at the metal wielder.

"I know," he purred, brushing past her.

"I see you've made breakfast," he said, walking up to the counter. Lei turned to look over at the large amount of pancakes that were steaming on the fancy plates she'd found in the cupboard.

"Oh… yeah. I hope I made enough," she mumbled, picking up her spatula to flip a few more.

"It seems you've made enough for an army."

"Yeah, what about a mutant army?" She asked. It was supposed to come out as a joke, but the joke died once it left her lips. Wasn't that what they were? They were going to war.

Erik looked down at her with a frown. His tall frame almost towered over the petite girl. "It was kind of you to make any," he murmured, his voice deeper than usual as he took a step towards Lei, his body now brushing against hers.

Lei started to say something, but stuttered when Erik looked down at her. His steel blue eyes connected with hers with an intensity she had never experienced before. Her breath hitched as he began to crane his neck downward.

"Oh sweet, breakfast!" Someone shouted, jerking them away from their positions. Erik cleared his throat and took a step backward. The two element benders looked to the doorway to see Sean with a happy look on his face.

"What were you two doing?" He enquired, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Lei coughed and smoothed down her skirt nervously, trying to forget the odd situation she had experienced moments before.

"Did someone say breakfast?" Alex asked, popping his head out of the threshold. His eyes found the stack of food and he tumbled inside.

"Everyone, Lei made breakfast!" Sean shouted down the hallway. Suddenly everyone filed in, still half asleep but eager for the homemade breakfast. The curly haired teen kissed Lei's cheek before running to fight Alex over the pancakes. Charles was flirting with Moira by the bacon, while Hank picked out his choice of fruit. His fury eyebrows were pulled together in concentration, trying to figure out which would be the best option.

Lei chuckled before glancing back towards Erik, who smiled politely back at her before turning to pour himself a cup of coffee. Lei sighed and leaned against the counter, her eyes sweeping over the kitchen. Everyone chorused their thanks and she smiled back at them, before noticing Raven's blue eyes staring back at her.

Raven smiled and mouthed a thank you, both for the breakfast, and for giving her the advice the other day. No matter how hard it was to admit, Raven knew Lei had been right. They all had their hardships; better to admit it and move on.

The twenty-five-year-old smiled back at her before jumping in to stop Sean and Alex from having a fist fight over the last chocolate chip pancake.


	8. Chapter 8 Meditation is Good

Lei walked down the hallways of the Xavier mansion, deep in thought and set on a mission to talk to Charles. He'd criticized them about remaining serious during their group training this morning and had ended up offending the majority of the team. After Lei had made the breakfast, Charles had left barely anytime for the team to relax before throwing them into training. Everyone knew that he was nervous and just trying to prepare them in their fight against Shaw, but having a little fun every once in a while wasn't bad. Besides Erik, Moira, and Lei, the others were barely out of their teens; Hank being the only one that was even drinking age. So Lei was going to go talk to him. Besides, how could he be strict on their training, when he himself hadn't been training with his mutation at all? Even Erik, who had been using his powers for years, had been submitted to the conditioning.

"It's odd how two men so different in character can come together and become friends," Lei thought, smiling to Erik as he passed her down the hallway. Erik was the cold, brooding bad boy with a secret kindness that he hid with anger, for fear of being hurt again. While Charles was the baby faced, blue eyed Englishmen who had a secret pain that he hid with his charming smile and kind manner. Two sides of the same coin, so different, yet one couldn't exist without the other.

Lei knocked on the closed door of Charles' office and the talking inside ceased. "Charles?" She asked, cracking the door open and peaking inside. Charles' blue eyes drifted from the person sitting across from him and to the door. "I need to talk to you."

Moira, who was sitting across from him, turned to see who was at the door and then back to Charles. "I'll see you later, Charles," she said, standing up and walking out of the office. Lei watched her go before turning back around and sitting in the chair Moira was previously occupying.

There was silence. Lei folded her hands in her lap and gazed back at Charles. "Did you want to talk to me?" He asked, arching his left eyebrow. Lei shifted in her seat to a more relaxed position and took a long time to answer him.

"Yes," she said finally. "You need to be easier on the students." Charles began to protest, but she held up her hand to stop him. "I know that you're worried about Shaw, but they're just kids, and they like to have fun every once in a while. What's the phrase? All work and no play?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow. "We're trying our best. You have to realize that."

Her friend's eyes softened. "I know. You're right," he admitted reluctantly.

Lei smiled and stood up from her chair. "Of course I am," she said cockily, placing a hand on her hip and standing over Charles' desk. He looked up at her.

"Come on," she proclaimed, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him out of the door.

"Where are we going?" He asked, tumbling after her as they raced down the hallway.

Lei turned around, her hair falling into her eyes as she looked back at him. "You've been teaching all of us, Charles. But who is teaching you?"

The two mutants ran down the hallway, oblivious to the odd glances everyone was giving them, specifically from Erik and Raven. Lei threw the doors open to the gardens outside, but didn't slow down to wait for her eyes to adjust.

ˆI don't need-" Charles started, throwing his arm up to block it from the blearing sun. Before he could finish, Lei let go of his arm and stopped suddenly, resulting in Charles almost falling into her.

"I don't need teaching," he said between intakes of breath, pressing his hands to his knees and leaning over. The sweet smell of the garden spun around him. The gardens were in full bloom around this time of year.

Lei laughed at him. "Everyone needs help, Charles. Take Erik for example. He's been using his powers openly for years, but he accepted your help when you came to him. You helped him find his power by drawing it in a land between rage and serenity. But your powers are different, Charles. Emotions can help us, yes. They're what keeps us alive. But even the most experienced mutant isn't worth their rice if they can't keep a clear mind in the battlefield."

Charles was dumfounded as he watched the young woman walk up to the pavilion in the middle of the garden.

"And how do you suppose we solve this?" Charles asked, leaning against the frame of the wooden building.

Lei sat down lotus style in the middle of the pavilion and faced away from the young telepath. "Through meditation," she said simply. Wasn't it obvious?

Charles scoffed and turned his head to look around the garden. Birds twittered in the great oaks. He remembered planting a few of those trees with his father during one of his holidays spent in Westchester. That was, before Charles had found Raven and his father had died. After that, his mother remarried and Charles was almost a ghost in this house.

"Charles," Lei called, getting him to look back at her. Her head was turned to look at him over her shoulder, her eyes sparkling against the water of the pond around her. "Where did you go?" She asked innocently, pulling her eyebrows together in confusion. The Englishmen decided not to respond.

Lei shook her head. "Anyway," she started, deciding to get back to the subject at hand. "You're a telepath, which means that your powers are mind based. Meditating is a great way to strengthen your mind. Please, sit down." Charles sighed before pushing himself off of the frame of the pavilion and waltzing over to her.

"Meditation helps me clear my mind before a battle. See, a waterbender's power comes from inside," she explained, motioning towards her heart. "Here is the internal life energy, also known as chi. Due to this, a waterbender's power is connected to his or her present emotional state. If an inexperienced waterbender were to lose his or her temper, their waterbending force is intensified, but in turn, control is lost. It's the same with telepathy. Telepathy is mind based, if you cannot keep a clear mind, then you're useless, no matter how strong of mutant you are."

Charles sat down cross-legged next to the young woman and gazed at her. Although she wasn't using her abilities, her eyes had changed to a bright blue. Blue like the deep water or late hour skies, blue like a sweep of diluted ink on paper or a wave under the full moon.

"You're not bending, yet your eyes…" He paused, gazing back at her. "They seem almost… unreal."

Lei shrugged and looked back at him. "We're so near to the water. I guess it comes with the mutation." Then, she closed her eyes and turned her face back towards the water, soaking in the warmth of the sun.

Charles pursed his lips. How could she so indifferent of her beauty? "Well, I find it lovely," he said, sneaking a glance at her before closing his eyes and trying to meditate.

A smile made its way to her lips before Lei pushed the compliment from her mind and steadied her breathing again.

The two were meditating all afternoon. The leaves of the great trees above them swirled in beautiful spirals around the guardian, resulting in beautiful music. Birds twittered and flew around them. The water gurgled from the pond and Lei could feel her mind expand to the happenings around her. Moira was going over cases in the kitchen, Sean and Alex were playing pinball in the game room; Erik and Raven were in the library. She could even sense the large koi fish swimming in the pond around her.

Lei sighed contently before opening her eyes. "Isn't meditation great, Charles?!" She exclaimed, swiveling around. Her friend was still in his lotus position, but his head hung limply and soft snoozing came from his lips.

Lei's mother, Lien, had taught her to meditate when she was just two years old. Lei had ended up falling asleep, just like Charles had. The young woman chuckled before bowing her head and focusing again.

"What's that noise?" Lei thought, hearing snickers, giggles, and whispering from above her. Rubbing her eyes and stretching, her arm brushed against something warm before it moaned and moved away. "Shh! Guy's they're waking up," someone hissed.

Lei's blue eyes fluttered open, shining against the bright sun before adjusting and turning back to their natural dark brown. Sean, Alex, and Raven stood above her with guilty smiles on their faces. Lei must have fallen asleep.

"What are you doing?" Charles asked next to her, rubbing his eyes and propping himself up on his elbows. The three companions just exchanged glances and remained silent. "Raven?" He asked again, attempting to get an answer from his adopted sister. Raven tried covering up her giggles with her hand.

"Sean, Alex, if you don't tell me what's going on, I'll have to go into your mind and figure it out." His eyes remained on the young mutants, wondering why they had the weird grins on their faces.

"Or I'll make you run a lap around the mansion!" He threatened. Sean snapped a picture with his camera before running off, his other two accomplices following behind him.

Lai chuckled and turned towards Charles before bursting out in laughter at seeing his appearance. The man was wearing a purple cowboy hat with horns on the side of it, and had an extremely fake beard around his mouth.

Turning, Charles began to laugh when he saw Lei's appearance. "What?" she cried, running to the water to see her reflection. An Italian mustache had been drawn above her lips and her long, brown hair was now up in ridiculously high pony tails.

Charles walked up to the pond and sat down on his knees next to Lei. "You know, I kind of like the facial hair," he said, stroking his chin and admiring himself in the water. Lei shoved him playfully and rolled her eyes. Charles shoved back, and the young woman almost went tumbling into the water.

Her mouth gaped. "Charles! I almost…" Slowly, a mischievous smile spread across Charles' face. "Charles, don't you dare…" She started, standing up from her knees and backing away from him.

The telepath followed after her, the smile remaining on his lips. Lei's eyes went round. "Charles!" In a swift moment, the young Englishmen pulled the waterbender into his arms and pushed her backward into the water.

Before he could release her, Lei latched onto his arm and pulled him with her into the pond.

The large koi swam away from the two mutants as they hit the water. Charles gasped out as he resurfaced, pushing his brown hair back from his forehead. He stared at the bender smiling in front of him. "Why you little- "

Lei used her waterbending and splashed Charles in the face, silencing him. He gaped at her before smiling and returning her gesture with a larger splash.

"Oh, Charles. You know you shouldn't pick a water fight with a waterbender!" She said.

Charles' eyebrows furrowed before realization dawned on him and he began to swim away as fast as he could. "Oh, you're not getting away that easy," she called back, bending a wave of water to rush over her friend.

Erik watched in annoyance from the inside of the house, hearing Lei squeal and laugh as Charles picked her up and threw her back into the water.


	9. Chapter 9 His Eyes

After the incident with the pond and a quick shower, everyone had piled into the living room to watch the president's address on the TV. She knew it sounded weird, but Lei was less worried about what might happen to her tomorrow and more worried about what Erik might do. She knew that Shaw had done something very awful to hurt the metal wielding mutant. She just didn't know what, and that made Erik dangerous. No one knew what he might do and to top it all off, he'd been ignoring Lei all afternoon. After what had happened the night of the full moon, she thought they had become friends, but now she wasn't so sure.

Erik was playing a game of chess with Charles when he saw the young woman walk past the door toward the kitchen. Her hair was still wet from her experience with Charles in the pond earlier that day.

"Your move, Erik," Charles informed. Erik's eyes slowly turned from the door and back to the game at hand. He moved the hand that he was resting his chin on, pulled the legs of his pants down and sat up straighter. Erik cleared his throat before his eyes followed the chess piece to where he wanted it to go and moved it with his electromagnetic powers.

Charles looked at the piece for a long time before slowly moving one of his horsemen. "You need to talk to her," he admitted, not looking up from the chessboard.

Erik scoffed and moved a piece to take down one of his opponent's pawns. "I don't need to _do_ anything," he argued. Why should he? If Charles was all buddy-buddy with her, what did it matter what Erik thought?

The before mentioned telepath took in a rattling breath before scrunching back in his chair and pressing two fingers to his temple.

"She's upset that you're not talking to her," he tried again a few minutes later, leaning into his palm.

Erik ignored the comment and continued to move the chess pieces, trying to focus on the game.

"You really are daft, aren't you?" Charles mumbled.

Suddenly, Erik's fist connected with the table, knocking a few pieces over. Charles didn't respond to the outburst, instead opting to raise an eyebrow and move his king to take over Erik's queen.

"Check mate. Now go talk to her," he ordered.

Erik's eyes went round as he looked down at the board. "You cheated."

"I know I cheated. Now go talk to her," he ordered again. The taller man growled before jumping out of his chair and stomping towards the door.

He found her in the kitchen, using some wooden chop sticks to eat stir fry out of a container. "Lei, I need to talk to you."

Lei swiveled around in her seat, her eyes wide with surprise to see him there and talking to her. A noodle was sticking out of her mouth before she slurped it back into her mouth and began to chew. "What's up?" She asked, her voice distorted as she covered her mouth with her palm.

Erik stopped and stared at her. He'd rushed in so quickly; he didn't get to plan what he was going to say to her. "I wanted to apologize… for being rude to you today. It was uncalled for."

Lei slowly rose from her stool, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Yeah. What was that for?" She asked innocently.

Erik shifted his stance awkwardly. "I, um…" he rubbed the back of his head and snuck a glance at her. The brunette was looking at him blankly, a slight intrigue behind her chestnut eyes. His hand fell from his neck and he decided to get it over with. He was a grown man and even when he was a boy, he never acted like this.

"I guess I was jealous of seeing you and Charles outside together this morning."

Lei stared at him in surprise before a small smile tugged its way across her lips. "Charles and I are just friends," she informed him, walking forward and putting a hand on his shoulder amiably. "You have nothing to worry about." Her hand began to fall, but he stopped her by placing his large hand over hers.

His eyes locked on hers for a moment before traveling down to the chain and pendant around her neck. "I've seen you wear that necklace every day. Why is it so important to you?"

Subconsciously, her free hand reached up to touch it. She wore the necklace so often, that she almost forgot that it was there. "It was my mother's," she confessed, sadness taking over her features. "She left it behind the day she was taken." Lei looked down at the floor, not comfortable with looking at the intense gaze he was giving her.

"You and I aren't as different as you think," he said, his voice low. He used his hand that wasn't atop hers to lift her chin so that her brown eyes met his stormy blue eyes. "I was taken away from my parents too, because of who I was."

Erik's hand fell from her chin and he rolled up his sleeve to reveal a series of numbers tattooed on his left arm.

214782\. She read the concentration camp numbers slowly before looking back at the tall man. His gaze was focused on the carpet, eyebrows pulled together in thought before he suddenly looked up and took a large step to close the gap between them.

Lei thought he was going to ram into her before he stopped inches away and looked down at her brown eyes. "You never wear your hair down," he said lowly, deciding to change the subject. He pulled his hand back and began undoing her long braid.

Erik ran his long fingers through her hair, tugging at the fastened locks until they fell loose in dark waves. Lei closed her eyes and sighed in pleasure, leaning into his warm, gentle touch. She took in a shaky breath and opened her eyes, trying to compose her racing heart.

Erik's eyes remained locked on her hair, deep in thought of what tomorrow would hold, before his eyes travelled down to her lips. She was smiling up at him, and her pearly teeth were almost a stark contrast against her peach colored lips.

She furrowed her brows. "Erik. What are you-" Lei gasped when she left his lips press suddenly against hers and she relaxed in his hold. Something aroused in him when he heard Lei moan against his thin lips and he deepened the kiss.

Her mouth tasted of Chinese noodles and roasted pork, yet it didn't bother him.

Lei's slender arms wrapped around his neck as she craned her back to get a better reach to his lips. His hand fell from his shoulder and snaked its way around her waist, the other on the area under her ear as he pulled her flush against him.

Their bodies connected with the marble countertop of the kitchen and Erik begrudgingly pulled away from her lips. His breathing was deep as he tried to regain oxygen back into his lungs. He stared down at her. Slowly, her eyes opened and they were blue, filled with passion before it faded and the almond shaped eyes were brown once again.

Erik's eyes twinkled with mischief. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said huskily before walking away.

Lei felt like she was in a daze as she stared back at his retreating form. She touched her lips daintily, still feeling the firm hold his lips had on hers. She smiled before turning away and sitting back down to finish her meal.

 **A/N: I hope this chapter was okay for you guys! This is actually the first kiss scene I've ever written. Only a three chapters left!**


	10. Chapter 10 Learning to Live

Lei walked through the gardens of the mansion and pulled the sweatshirt tighter around her body. Although Raven and Erik were the only ones that had left, somehow the mansion felt empty. Right now, she needed to talk to Charles about what to do now that they had defeated Shaw. Moira was still at the mansion, but soon she would have to go back to work at the CIA.

"So how many students do you think you'll have here, once you get the academy up and running?" She heard the brunette ask as Lei rounded the corner. She felt a pang of guilt at seeing Charles in the chair and stopped her walking.

"As many as I can manage," Charles responded. "Possibly more." Lei smiled. She was glad his work ethic hadn't gone with his ability to walk.

"You know, one day the government is gonna realize how lucky they were to have Professor X on their side," Moira informed him as she stopped pushing the chair and walked around to face him. Lei bit back a bitter smile. She remembered the day Raven had decided to think up secret spy names. God, how many of a lifetime that seemed now.

"Oh! Yes," the Englishmen mumbled, looking away from the woman next to him. "I suppose I am a real professor now, aren't I? Next thing you know I'll be going bald." Moira attempted a chuckle, but it died the moment it left her lips. "We're still on the government's side, Moira," he continued. "We're still G-men, just without the G."

"No," she said sternly, shaking her head. "You're your own team, now. It's better. You're… X-Men."

"Yes. I like the sound of that." Charles chuckled lightly and Lei smiled from her position at the corner of the house, but then Moira and Charles became serious and her smile fell. "Moira," he told her. "For us anonymity will be the first line of defense."

Moira squatted down to look at him. "I know. They can threaten me all they want, Charles." She told him boldly. "I'll never tell them where you are. Ever!" She insisted. Lei admired her tenacity, but knew it wouldn't stand with Charles. If there was one thing she knew about the man, it was that he was selfless and he would give up his biggest desires to keep someone safe.

"I know you won't. I know," he murmured, leaning in closer to kiss his companion.

Lei bowed her head and walked into the mansion, feeling bashful as seeing such an intimate scene between her two comrades. She would wait until Moira had left to talk to the professor, for she knew that kiss had been one of goodbye.

She sat in Charles' office now, waiting for him to return. As she did this, her mind drifted back to that day on the beach and more specifically, when she had last seen Erik.

The team, after some turbulence with the plane, had landed on the beach safely. A little rattled, but safe. Erik had gone into the submarine to retrieve Shaw, while the rest of us remained outside to fight Shaw's remaining team members. Lei had been slightly insulted when Charles told her to stay by the plane. It was a good thing he did though because the mutant known as Riptide was making his way towards them.

Lei brought out the water bearers Hank made for her and was about to attack when Riptide formed a small tornado in his hand and sent it towards the young woman. The gust of wind got bigger and bigger as it made its way towards her. The next thing she knew she was feet away from the plane with the wind knocked out of her and her back against the hot Cuban sand. Lei groaned and rolled to her side, trying to force herself to stand and stop Shaw's man from getting into the plane where Charles and Moira were.

Lei used the water from the salty sea around her and used it to create a large wave to knock down the dark haired man. Riptide turned to her and sent another gust of wind towards the waterbender, but she was able to tumble roll away from it, also resulting in affectively closing the gap between her and the plane. She used the water from the wave to hit the mutant again and again until he was pushed back against the plane.

Riptide's eyes went round as the young woman took a deep breath and exhaled the air as a blast of freezing mist towards the mutant. The salt water slowly froze, effectively trapping Riptide against the plane under a sheet of ice. The mutant man growled and pushed his palm upward to create another wave of wind. Seeing this, Lei brought a hand full of water to her palm and sent it to Riptide's hand, effectively freezing it to the plane as well.

Charles poked his head out of the plane, confusion ridden on his face before his eyes drifted to Riptide and realization set in. "Good job, Lei," he said, turning to the struggling mutant and back to the bender. Lei nodded back at him with a smile.

Everything after that went by in a blur. Shaw's dead body floating out of the sub and landing on the sand; surprise at realizing Erik had gone through with his plan to kill him. She knew now what Shaw had done to him, but seeing Shaw's dead body on the sand made it so much more real.

The missiles flying towards them: fear. The threat of the missiles flying back towards the ships: panic. Then Moira shot the bullets towards Erik, and there was fear again, only to quickly be replaced with pain. Charles had been shot in the back from one of the shots that Erik was deflecting, and he had tumbled to the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" Erik exclaimed, falling to the ground next to his telepathic friend. The other mutants and Lei walked forward to help, but Erik shouted at them to stop, throwing a hand out and knocking Sean, Alex, and Hank (better known as Beast now) into the air. "You! You did this!" He shouted, standing up and using his powers to strangle Moira with the chain of her dog tag.

Lei used this opportunity to run towards Charles and cradle him like Erik just had. "Erik, stop!" She shouted, remembering the pain she had experienced when he had done that to her many moons ago. But Erik didn't stop, instead he pulled the necklace tighter around the brunette's neck.

"Please!" Charles begged. "Moira, didn't do this, Erik. You did." After a long pause, Erik's hand reluctantly dropped and Moira fell to the ground, clutching her throat and struggling to breathe again.

"Us turning on each other," Erik proclaimed, pointing to the ships and subs in the sea around them. "It's what they want. I tried to warn you, Charles." He said, turning to where the Englishmen and Lei were lying on the ground beside him. His grey eyes connected with Lei before he turned to Charles. "I want you by my side. We're brothers, you and I. All of us, together." He said, looking around. "Protecting each other. We want the same thing."

"My friend, I'm sorry. But we do not," Charles said, attempting to prop himself up on his elbows as Lei tried frantically to assess his wounds. Something was wrong. Why wasn't he bleeding? He'd just been shot.

Erik turned to the other mutants and motioned to Moira that it was okay to approach Charles now. Moira didn't hesitate to rush towards Lei and Charles. She fell to her knees and clutched Charles' hand. Then, Moira began whispering assurances to him as Lei frantically attempted to heal him with her waterbending.

"The society won't accept us," Erik proclaimed, looking around the beach. "We form our own. The humans have played their hand. Now we get ready to play ours. Who's with me?" He held his hand out towards Raven, who was now in her natural blue form. "No more hiding," he mumbled. Raven slowly began walking towards Erik, but suddenly turned to where Charles was lying.

"You… you should go with him. It's what you want." Charles said.

"You promised me you would never read my mind."

"I know," he said sadly. "I promised you a great many things, I'm afraid. I'm sorry." Charles kissed her hand and, in turn, Raven kissed his forehead.

Then to Moira and Lei, "Take care of him." The two nodded and turned back to Charles. Lei's eyes drifted up to watch as Raven walked back to Erik and clutched his hand. The clear water Lei was using emitted a bright glow as she pressed it against Charles' back.

"And Beast?" Raven said. Hank looked up at her, his blue eyes now a bright yellow with his newly enhanced form. "Never forget, mutant and proud!" She exclaimed and Erik's new team is about to leave, when he stops and turns to Lei.

Her holds out his hand, but she just stares at him, the glow of the healing water casting a shadow across her tanned face. "Aren't you coming?" He asked.

Lei's heart broke when she saw the desperation in Erik's stormy eyes. "If you come with me, you'll never have to hide again." He tried. "You'll be free, to train, to live, to be who you want to be."

She wanted so much to go with him, to not have to hide or be afraid of who she really was. Lei had been hurt by humans even before she found out that she was a mutant. They had taken her mother away from her before she could even ride a bike and her father away before she had graduated high school. Her parents would never see her get her diploma or get married. They would never be able to meet their first grandchild. They would never be able to do these things because they were dead, killed by humans simply for being mutants.

But attacking everyone who defies you simply because they're human was not the answer. They fight. Kill. Betray. But, at the heart, men were still good. No matter how hard it got sometimes, Lei still believed that. She had to.

"I'm sorry, Erik." She finally said, shaking her head. "But if I went with you, I'd never be free." The words might not have been true, but she knew they were the only ones that could guarantee he leave without her. It was what he wanted, and just like Charles wasn't going to hold Raven back, Lei wasn't going to hold Erik back from what he wanted either.

"Those monsters, they killed your parents!" He shouted to cover up the sting he felt from her harsh words. "The took everything you ever cared about away from you and you are protecting them!"

"You assume that all humans are like Shaw. But you're wrong Erik. My aunt was human after all, and she took me in with open arms, when I had no one else."

Erik looked at her for a long time as his new teammates linked hands with him. Lei couldn't bear to watch Erik go, so she turned her head to focus on healing Charles. She used all the power she had not to lift her head, because if she did, she didn't know what would stop her from joining the metal bender.

She heard the familiar pop of Azazel vanishing, and knew that they were gone. A single tear slid down her heated face.

"Charles, don't move. Okay?" Hank asked, finally reaching the hurt telepath. Panic set into Lei's nerves as she finally realized why the wound wasn't bleeding. She didn't need to be a telepath to know what Charles was going to say.

"I won't. Actually, I can… I- I can't feel my legs!" He shouted, tears beginning to shine in his eyes.

"What?" Moira asked. The water Lei was using falls to the sand of the beach.

"I can't feel my legs!" He shouted frantically. "I can't feel my legs!"

She felt a light touch on her shoulder and jerked with a startled gasp to see Charles sitting next to her chair, his eyebrows knitted together in concern.

"It's just me," the professor said, holding his hands up. "I was talking to you for a minute and you weren't responding."

"Yeah, I…" Lei shakily ran a hand through her hair, pushing the thoughts of that day out of her mind. "I didn't hear you come in."

Suddenly tears began to well in her eyes. "Charles, I- I couldn't heal you. I'm so sorry. I tried so hard and I couldn't. I just couldn't…" Sensing that the young woman was about to cry, Charles pulled her into his arms.

Her tears began to drench his button down, but he ignored it and instead focusing on calming the young woman. "It's okay, my dear," he murmured into her hair. "Some things… you just can't heal." He smiles, despite the tears in his eyes and the pain in his heart.

Lei nodded before slowly pulling out of his arms and whipped the tears from her eyes.

"That's better," he said, smiling and smoothing the back of her hair. "You're wearing your hair down," he observed with a smile.

"Oh, yeah." She mumbled, nervously tugging at the ends of her hair. "I thought it was time for a change."

"It's nice," he said, smiling and smoothing down the back of her hair.

'Erik liked my hair down,' she thought. Charles frowned when he heard that thought. He felt anger for the older man when he saw the pain so prominent in Lei's brown eyes. Before Lei could notice, Charles covered the frown with a forced smile.

"You know, if we're going to open a school, we're going to need some teachers," he said, changing the subject.

"I would be honored Charles," she answered, not missing a beat.

He smiled. "You know, we never thought of a code name for you."

That's right. Charles had interrupted their fun that day before they had ever thought of one for her.

"I was thinking…" Lei paused, pressing a fingertip to her mouth in thought. "Flux."

Charles smiled. "Flux it is."

Two years later, Lei was wheeling the professor down the hallway of the X mansion. It was the first day of school and to say they were excited would be an understatement. The school was finally up and running and each one of them had a teaching position.

Hank taught science and mathematics, as well as helping Charles think up new ideas for the curriculum. Sean taught business and consumer law classes, as well as a flying class for those with flight powers since he had experience in that field. And Alex was able to teach history, somehow proving to have a knack for it. Although Charles was the headmaster of the school and was busy using Cerebro to find more mutants, he had insisted on taking on classes of his own. He had decided on English, as well as deciding to provide a gift appreciation and control class for those who needed it. And since Hank had been able to teach the mathematics class, Lei was happy to choose any class that she wanted to. And she had decided to form a cooking class as well as become the school's nurse, though she hoped that occupation wouldn't be much needed.

Although they only had a handful of students at the moment, Lei was optimistic that that number would grow soon.

"We have our work cut out for us, don't we Professor?"

"Yes," he admitted with a chuckle. "Yes, we do Miss Watson."

"Go ahead and tell me

That you know all I can be

You've studied every droplet

Of my ever-changing sea. 

But weren't you ever taught

That seas are only where it ends?

The things that tell the story

Are the river's twists and bends.

The ocean isn't everything, 

It's part of it of course, 

But you cannot judge its currents

If you do not know their source."

~e.h

 **A/N: Thank you to everyone who had an idea on the X-men name for Lei! Especially to HisLordFluffiness for the constant reviews. I decided to take your idea on the codename Flux! Thank you for your insight! Only two chapter's left. Also, I hope that I assigned the jobs okay. I looked up X-men teacher facts and tried to decide on which one would be best. Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11 The Future Days

**A/N: This is just a little dribble that I thought to add for this story. There will not be a sequel to "The Element of Change" but I thought I would add this in for a future explanation on what happened after X-men: First Class.**

It had been three years since the events on the beach of Cuba; almost a year since the opening of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. Lei had helped set up the school with Hank, Charles, Alex, and Sean and things were going well… at first. But then the war in Vietnam began to worsen and many of the students and teachers were drafted. This included Sean and Alex.

With the dwindling numbers of people at the mansion, Charles began to fall into a pit of depression. Lei continued to remind him that things were going to improve and he just had to be patient. Hank and she were still there for him, but it's hard to realize what you still have when you've lost so much.

"Charles?" She asked, peaking her head in when he didn't respond. The man was lying in his bed, a glass of whiskey in his hand and his eyes staring blankly into the wall ahead of him. "My aunt's sick. I don't think it's serious, but I'm going to have to take off a few days and go see her; make sure she's alright." Lei hated to leave at this critical time, but her aunt was all she had left of her birth family. She had to make sure that she was alright.

Lei's hand remained on the door, waiting for the telepath to respond. His brown hair was tussled and whiskers were starting to grow on his jaw. "I'll have one of the other teachers take over your classes for the time being," was all he said, not bothering to look at her and offer any kind words or assurances. The young woman sighed before shutting the door lightly.

The trip took longer than expected, and before Lei knew it, it had been weeks. And during those weeks, her aunt's health had gotten progressively worse and, eventually, it had overwhelmed her. Since Lei's aunt hadn't been married or had any children, the funeral had been small, only consisting or Lei, a few work friends of her aunt, and the preacher. Needless to say, she was happy to return to the mansion. That is, until she saw the state it was in when she returned.

The gate was thrown open and the water in the fountain had ceased flowing. Lei shut the door to her car, her feet crunching against the gravel of the drive as she made her way to the front door. It seemed like a ghost town here. Even the birds had stopped singing in the trees. "Charles? Hank?" She called out, looking around the corridor of the mansion. Her voice echoed through the oak paneled walls. "Where is everyone?" She wondered, taking a hesitant step inside before making her way towards Charles' room.

"Oh, Charles! Thank goodness you're here. I was beginning to wonder what had happened. Where are all the students?"

"The school is closed, Lei." He said simply, not bothering to look at her.

"What?" she asked puzzled, furrowing her brows in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

A long silence followed her words. "I closed the mansion down the week after you left."

"What? Why would you do that?" She screeched, but despite her anger, Charles remained neutral faced.

"Barely anyone was left after you'd gone. Parents started pulling their children out of the school. I- I had no other choice," he said flatly.

"Charles, there's always a choice. You could have…" Her voice was starting to give him a headache, and with the buzz of the alcohol, he was having trouble focusing.

"Sean's dead, Lei!" He shouted, finally turning to the young woman. Lei jumped at his sudden outburst and her eyes had turned blue from the threat of tears.

"What?" she asked dumbly.

"He died in Vietnam, killed the day before he would have been discharged. I got the letter while you were gone! Chasing a family that left you when you should have been here!" He shouted.

Lei's mouth opened and shut, trying to find a way to respond.

"You think that you're the only one who's lost something?" She asked, anger beginning to seep into her nerves. There was no response. So she added, "my mother, father, aunt, Erik, Raven, and now Sean. All people dear to me, lost, and there was nothing I could do about it to save them. Don't you realize how that makes me feel?" She asked, tightening her fists to try to prevent the tears in her eyes from going anywhere else.

"Then go!" He shouted, attempting to stand up. "Everyone else already has," he whispered, falling back into the chair. The damned thing felt like a cage.

Lei's eyes went round. _"Is that what you want?"_

Charles looked at her with unblinking eyes before turning his wheel chair to face away from her. Lei cried out in frustration before flying out of the room and slamming the door shut.

Charles placed the glass of alcohol on the bar of his wheel chair and used his other hand to rub the creases on his forehead.

Lei had just lost the last of her family, and she wasn't about to stand around and watch as she lost her best friend too.

"Call me when you have the real Professor X back," she shouted to Hank before making a swift exit and fleeing from the mansion.

"Great job, Charles," he mumbled to himself. "Another person that you've pushed away." And suddenly the glass was shattered against the wall.

Lei ran out of the mansion, ignoring the call of Hank behind her and tumbled into her car. Rain was pouring out of the gray clouds above her, most likely as a cause to Lei's raging emotions. She'd gotten a lot powerful since the first time she'd met Charles, not that it mattered anymore.

Her blue car swerved off down the path and into the street. Tears were streaming down her tan cheeks, blurring her vision from the cars around her. Lei began wiping the tears away furiously, trying to control the water works. When she looked up, headlights were heading straight towards her.

Lei jerked out of bed, the memory still fresh in her mind despite it being from seven years ago. Her mind began to clear, and she noticed the phone by her bed was ringing.

" H'lo?" She asked, her voice groggy from sleep.

"Lei?" the voice on the other line asked.

Her ears perked and she sat up straighter in her bed. "Hank?" She asked.

There was shuffling on the other line before he responded. "Listen, you um… You asked me to call you when Charles was… back. Can you come by?"

Lei looked at her clock. "How about in a couple of hours, Hank? It's kind of four in the morning where I am."

There was a pause and an awkward chuckle on the other end. Lei smiled, imagining the embarrassed blush that was probably on her friend's face. "Yeah, that's fine," he mumbled before hanging up.

Despite the early time, Lei quickly got up from the bed and swiftly began braiding her long hair back.

That morning, Lei pulled up the mansion. She knocked on the door and was surprised to see the man who greeted her. He had black hair and a very unique beard adorning his face and seemed to be very gruff.

"Who're you?" She asked. The man looked at her oddly and raised an eyebrow.

"Who're you?" He asked, his hand remaining on the large oak door as he took in her appearance.

She was a short girl, with large almond eyes and her hair was back in a unique braid. He was sure he had never met her before, but something about her seemed familiar.

Before the girl could answer, Charles approached and pushed the door totally open. "Logan," he said, clapping his shoulder. "This is Lei. Lei, Logan."

She was going to great him, but then she noticed that the Englishmen was without his wheelchair and walking! "Charles! Why are you walking?"

Charles' mouth opened to reply, when Hank appeared.

"Good, you're here!" Hank shouted, approaching the door.

"Hank!" She screamed, her eyes traveling from Charles to her other friend. "Why aren't you blue? And where's the fur?!"

Hank, not knowing how to respond to the young woman's questions, turned to the professor. Charles chuckled and leaned against the door. "You've missed a lot, my dear. We'll fill you in on the way."

"Where are we going?"

"I assume you know where Erik is?" Logan asked, pipping in.

The young woman nodded. "Yeah. He's in the Pentagon… for killing the president."

"Yes, well," Charles said, looking at his two companions. "We're going to break him out."

Lei's eyes widened before a hesitant smile broke across her face. She was going to see Erik again.

 **A/N: So... anyone wondering why Lei looks familiar to Logan, yet he has never seen her before? Thoughts?**


	12. Chapter 12 New Moon

The young girl walked down the hallway of the old mansion. Young men and women walked among her. They all looked different, with different hair colors, skin colors, heights, shapes, but one thing was the same. They were mutants, every single one of them, and the young girl found comfort in that.

She smiled and ran around the corner, her long brown hair flowing in odd angles around her. "Hey Lunar!" a few of her friends shouted, using her X-men name and smiling as they watched the girl make her way through the crowd of students. She was always going somewhere, always running.

Lunar finally reached her destination, forgetting to knock on the door and tumbling inside. But she stopped when she saw that the professor was talking to someone.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I-" she started, glancing at the man who had his back to her. He had a tall, slender frame, and his arms hung limply by his side, but his shoulders were tense and rigid.

The professor waved his hand, indicating that it was no big deal. "Please, Yue. Come in."

The man talking to the professor turned around, his jaw going slack when he saw Lei's necklace shimmer against Yue's neck.

The young girl furrowed her eyebrows and gave an awkward smile to the stranger.

"Yue? After the moon?" The man asked before a deep chuckle tumbled out of his lips. "How fitting." The corners of his eyes crinkled in his smile, showing signs that the man was beginning to age. But besides that, and the slight tint of gray appearing in the sides of his ginger hair, he seemed untouched by the caress of old age.

Yue's smile faded. "I've heard about you," she said, pressing a finger to her lips before pointing it at the man. "You're Magneto!" Despite knowing that the man had a questionable past, her face lit up with excitement at seeing a man who had such a large influence on the mutant community.

His chuckle was deep and throaty as his mouth curved into a smile. "When I first met your mother, I was just Erik."

Yue's eyes went round. "You knew my mother?" She said excitedly.

Erik nodded before being interrupted by the professor. "Did you need something?" He asked.

Yue turned reluctantly from gazing at Erik. "Oh, yes! I just wanted to thank you for helping me with that Astrophysics test," she said, pulling out a stack of papers from her books and showing it to the bald man. "I got an 'A!'" She exclaimed.

The professor smiled. "That's great, Yue. I knew you could do it. You just needed to apply yourself." The girl nodded, gazing between the two adults before turning and walking back into the hallway.

She leaned against the closed door and sighed, running her trembling hands over her face and through her brown hair. The dark, stormy, blue eyes. The strong jaw. She'd never seen them before, yet they were so familiar.

How? Because they mirrored her own. Before her mother died, she never spoke to Yue about her father, only admitting that he was a bender. Yue just never thought that it would be this element wielder.

"Are you okay?" Jean asked, approaching her friend. She could sense conflict rolling off of her in waves. There was so much trouble inside the girl's mind that it almost gave her a headache.

Yue nodded, staring blankly out into the hallway before her stormy eyes focused and looked back at her friend. "I think I just met my father."

 **A/N: Duhn duhn duhn! Well guys, this is the end of… "The Element of Change!" I hope you enjoyed, and please enjoy this humble cliff hanger. Please comment to let me know what you think.**

OC Name pronunciation:

Lei- rhymes with "way" "hey" "day"

Yue- y uu eh, like "you" and then the end of "hey"


End file.
